One-way dispensing valve unit for bottles to prevent refilling thereof



- a. E. TAN'NER" ONE-WAY DISPENSING VALVE UNIT FOR BOTTLES 1'0 Dec '16, 1969' PREVENT REFILLING -THEREOF Fmled May 15 1968 GEORGE E. TANNER BY MAHONEY, MILL R a 520 TORNEYS United States Patent 3,484,819 ONE-WAY DISPENSING VALVE UNIT FOR BOT- TLES TO PREVENT REFILLING THEREOF George E. Tanner, 97 W. 1st Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43201 Filed May 15, 1968, Ser. No. 729,195 Int. Cl. B65d 47/02, 49/00, /74

US. Cl. 222-147 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A one-way dispensing valve unit to be mounted in the neck of a bottle which automatically moves by gravity to closed position when the bottle is disposed upright to prevent refilling through the neck but automatically opens when the valve is titled for pouring. The valve is characterized by an extremely effective structure yet one which is simple and cheap to manufacture and position in the bottle neck.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one example of my invention and in this drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view of an upright bottle showing the neck thereof in vertical section with the valve unit of my invention positioned therein, and with the valve in closed position to prevent filling through the neck.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged axial or vertical sectional view of the valve unit.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the unit of FIG- URE 2 illustrating the various parts thereof.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse view taken along line 55 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the valve in the opening condition it assumes when the bottle is tilted for pouring.

The valve unit of this invention is illustrated generally by the reference character V as being positioned in the neck N of a bottle B which may contain liquor or other liquid. The valve is designed to permit pouring of the contents from the bottle readily by tilting the bottle, as in FIGURE 6, but as long as the bottle is upright as in FIGURE 1, it is designed to prevent entrance of any substance into the bottle through the neck. Thus, assuming the bottle is a whiskey bottle, the whiskey could be dispensed therefrom at intervals merely by tilting the bottle, but as soon as the bottle is disposed upright, refilling with less expensive whiskey will be precluded.

The unit V is preferably molded from a suitable plastic material, such as a polyvinyl chloride. It is designed as a simple structure comprising three parts only, namely, the main sleeve or housing 11, the movable valve and guide member 12, and the perforated stop plug 13.

The main sleeve 11 is mainly of annular tubular form having a central chamber or passageway 15 extending almost completely therethrough from its upper end to its lower end. A restricted throat 16 is provided at the lower end which is joined to the main passageway by an annular tapered surface which provides a Sharp annular valve seat 17. This sleeve 11 is of such outside diameter that when inserted in the neck N of the bottle it will fit so tightly therein that it cannot be removed without breaking the bottle neck.

The valve and guide member 12 comprises a lower valve portion 18 and a plurality of upper guide portions 19 which are integrally formed together as by molding. The portion 18 has a special surface 20 adapted to cooperate with the valve seat 17 of the sleeve 11. The

3,484,819 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 'ice guide portions 19 are vertical guide ribs, four being shown, which are angularly spaced apart to provide vertical passages 21 therebetween. The outer transversely curved surfaces of these ribs will be closely adjacent the inner vertical transversely curved surface of the passageway 15 of the sleeve 11 and will cooperate therewith in guiding the axial or vertical movement of the member 12. It will be noted that the ribs 19 project radially outwardly beyond the diameter of the valve portion 18 and that the passages 21 provide meansfor permitting by-passing of the member 12 by outwardly discharged liquid. Also, it will be noted that the lower ends of the ribs, terminate well above the valve surface 20.

The plug member 13 when in the upper end of the sleeve 11 will serve to prevent outward or upward displacement of the valve and guide member 12 therefrom. The plug is in the form of an annular sleeve which preferably has an outer tapered surface that can be forced into the upper end of the passage 15 of the sleeve 11. It will be retained therein by the tight fit or may be Welded or. cemented therein. It has a main passage 22 but preferably a transverse screen or perforated Wall 23 is provided at the lower end thereof and integral therewith. This member 13 will serve as a stop for outward axial sliding movement of the member 12 and the perforated wall will prevent insertion of an object to unseat the vallye portion 18 from its seat 17 when the bottle is uprig t.

The valve unit V will be manufactured and assembled and supplied to the bottler where one will be positioned in the neck of each bottle after it is filled. As long as the bottle is upright, as shown in FIGURE 1, the valve portion 18 will have its spherical surface 20 resting on the restricted annular seat 17, because the member 12 will slide by gravity to its lowermost position in the sleeve 11. The ribs 19 will have their lower ends spaced above the valve seat 17 and the associated tapered surface so as not to interfere with seating of the valve. It Will be impossible to pour any liquid through the neck N past the seated valve into the bottle. Also, it will be impossible to insert a tool to unseat the valve because of the perforated wall 23. However, whenever the bottle is tilted, the valve portion 18 will be automatically unseated from the seat 17 by outward sliding movement of the member 12, as indicated in FIGURE 6. This will permit pouring of the contents from the bottle, the liquid by-passing the member 12 through the passages 21 thereof.

It will be apparent that the valve unit of this invention is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to position in the neck of the bottle where it will effectively prevent refilling of the bottle but will not interfere with pouring of the contents therefrom.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A one-way valve unit for a bottle to permit pouring therefrom upon tilting of the bottle but to prevent refilling with the bottle upright, comprising a sleeve portion having an enlarged central tubular chamber which is upright when the bottle is in normal untilted condition, said chamber having a lower sharp annular valve seat formed by an-integral inwardly projecting annular ledge which provides a central restricted throat below the valve seat, a tapered upper annular surface above said seat, a valve and guide member having a lower valve portion with a spherical surface on its lower side which will fit downwardly within said restricted throat and rest by gravity on said sharp annular valve seat in its normal lowermost position in said chamber, said guide and valve member also having a plurality of vertically disposed upstanding guide ribs which extend radially outwardly from said valve portion at angularly spaced intervals to cooperate with the vertical wall of said chamber in guiding vertical movement of the valve and guide member therein, said guide ribs extending upwardly to upper ends located beyond the upper extremity of the lower valve portion and extending downwardly along the valve portion to lower ends terminating above the spherical surface of the valve portion so that when the valve is resting on said seat the lower ends of the ribs are spaced above said tapered surface, and a separate perforated plug member fixed in said chamber at a height above the said ledge which is sufficient to permit the necessary vertical movement of said valve and guide member and which is a greater vertical distance than the axial vertical extent of said valve and guide member including the upstanding guide ribs, said plug having vertical discharge passage means and being engaged by the upper ends of said guide ribs when the valve is unseated upwardly in said chamber so as to limit upward movement of said valve member and prevent sealing of said vertical passage means of said plug so as not to interfere with outward discharge through said perforated plug.

2. A one-way valve unit according to claim 1 in which the sleeve portion is a separate sleeve member adapted to fit in the bottle and has an exterior cylindrical surface adapted to tightly engage the interior surface of the neck and also has an open upper end, said ledge being formed as an inwardly directed integral flange on the lower end .like plug having a transverse perforated wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,611 7/1883 Burnett 222-147 1,753,724 4/1930 Shaw 137454.2 X 1,640,408 8/1927 House 137-53317 X 2,581,897 1/1952 Allen 222-500 X 3,399,811 9/1968 Miller 222-147 FOREIGN PATENTS 541,704 9/1954 Italy.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner N. L. STACK, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 222500 

